# L.E.D. Lab — LED display client

> Powerful client for driving LED displays with animated visuals and audio synchronization. (iPhone/iPad app by Christopher Schardt.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/led-lab/id832042156 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Christopher Schardt](https://appshunter.io/developer/352273485)
- Category: Productivity, Photo & Video
- Price: Free with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 15 App Store ratings · 16 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.6 · 23 MB
- Languages: English
- Released: 2014-05-13
- Data updated: 2026-08-17
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/led-lab/id832042156/reviews.md

## What is L.E.D. Lab?

L.E.D. Lab is the quickest, easiest, most powerful way to drive your LED display! Custom programming is no longer required to get up-and-running.  It is ideal for artists, professional display designers, architects, VJs, lighting designers, hobbyists, and anyone wanting to add a little animated color to their sculpture, art car, home, business or wardrobe.

L.E.D. Lab allows you to create a list of Scenes, which can be played back in order or shuffled. There are currently two kinds of Scenes:
● Pictures Scene - A montage of still images, videos, and live camera feeds is designed. The position, velocity, rotation, size, and coloring of each picture can be animated. You can use your own photos and videos, and the iPad camera. Rendering to odd-shaped displays is made possible with photographically-generated map files.
● Strips Scene - Particles of color are sent down each strip. The velocity, hue, saturation, and brightness of each particle can be animated.

Other features include:
● Music - Create lists of Tracks.  Each track plays a song from your music library, along with any number of Scenes.  You can elaborately choreograph a song, or let the Scenes play in random order.
● Audio Reactivity - Any animatable parameter may be controlled by the amplitude of audio in a specified frequency range.
● External Control - Any animatable parameter may be controlled by MIDI, DMX, ArtNet, or OSC.
● Color Keying - An image, video file, or live video feed can be made selectively transparent, making it easy to mix in with other images.
● Tiling - Any image, video file, or live video feed can be tiled in any or all directions, with adjustable spacing and fade-out.
● Display Modes - Editing can be performed with or without the LEDs connected.  The editing UI can also be hidden, allowing operation in a "kiosk" mode.

So what kind of LED display can you make with L.E.D. Lab? Some Examples:
    http://ledlabs.co

Any iOS device can be used to play Scene Lists. An iPad is best for full editing.

L.E.D. Lab works with the following LED controllers:
● PixelPusher (our favorite)
● Art-Net
● sACN
● DDP/Minleon/TekLights
● RGB-123
● FadeCandy/FCServer
● OpenPixel
It can also display to an external monitor or projector, serving as a VJ app.

Extensive help information is provided for the rich user-interface:
● Help Explorer - Displays help text for any knob, slider, button, popup, list, or view inside a magnifying glass you drag around the screen. (See this in the last screen shot.)
● Help  Topics - Little chapters to read about some of the more detailed functionalities.
● Help Tutorials

## Key features

- Create and animate scenes with images, videos, and camera feeds
- Animate particle color, velocity, and brightness for LED strips
- Synchronize visuals with music from your library
- Audio reactivity for parameter control
- External control via MIDI, DMX, ArtNet, OSC
- Color keying and tiling for advanced compositing
- Supports various LED controllers and external monitors

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: Free.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| LED Artist Pack | $59.99 | one-time |
| VJ Pack | $79.99 | one-time |
| Authoring | $49.99 | one-time |
| LED Display | $19.99 | one-time |
| Advanced Mapping | $84.99 | one-time |
| Live Microphone | $9.99 | one-time |
| Live Video | $9.99 | one-time |
| Everything Pack | $209.99 | one-time |
| External Control | $19.99 | one-time |
| Music | $19.99 | one-time |
| External Screen | $39.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 16)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/led-lab/id832042156/reviews.md

### 3/5 — Interesting... but takes a great deal of time to learn

*2024-02-27*

I spent over ten hours trying to wrap my head around how this app works.  It has a strange help system that is context specific, so you cannot read the help information outside of the context of the various modal environments.  Additionally, due to a bug in the help system, it took me a while to discover that some help pages spanned beyond what was shown.  The developer insisted it wasn't a bug... which contributed to me giving up and requesting a refund (which was immediately granted). I suspect the program is quite useful… if you can figure out how to use it.

As he has not released a version since I reported the bug: To get around the help system bug, click on another help topic and then click back to the topic you want to view - the ability to scroll will then be available.  The developer insisted that I didn’t know how iPads/Macs work instead of investigating my detailed description of the bug, which I found off putting as I worked with Apple prior to the Mac release in 1984 (including pre-release hardware) and have used Macs etc ever since then.

### 5/5 — Interfacing to LED Matrix panels

*2023-11-17*

Any suggestions on how to interface with LED Matrix panels that use the HUB75 interface? 

I’m currently using both a Teensy microcontroller with SmartMatrix and a Raspberry Pi with an Adafruit LED matrix shield and would like to drive it from the LED Lab app.

### 5/5 — Not for the faint of heart

*2022-05-12*

This is NOT a simple program - it will take no small amount of trial and error to get things set up the way you want them - but once you've got it set up, it's an AMAZINGLY rich and flexible resource. I've used it with a Fadecandy-based Neopixel matrix as well as with RasPi-based HU75 matrices (both emulating PixelPushers), and it's been great with both. 
(And in addition to that, the author was very helpful via email in working out specific settings tweaks to get me up and running.)

### 3/5 — Anyone know how i am supposed to add my own artnet controller?

*2020-09-14, version 2.02*

Tried to figure it out but can’t.  My artnet controller is working fine with other software but for the life of me I cannot work out how to add the controller to this software.  Each time I click new is says I need to un-sync from my last controller (I didn’t have one).  Purchased the software thinking that was the problem, turns out no.  Cannot see anywhere manuals, instructions or any step by step guides.  Totally lost.

### 4/5 — A number of questions about music and Tracks

*2019-06-25*

Hello. I just bought the Music add on and am unclear on a few things:

1) I can see how I can export Scenes as a way to back them up/transfer between devices. Is there a way to do the same with Track listings and the Scenes synced to them?

2) I can set up Tracks and Scenes, but when I play, I never get audio. How do you enable audio to play?

I’m using an iPad Pro 11” on iOS 12.3.1

Is there a better way to get product support? I couldn’t find one on the website.

Thanks!

### 5/5 — So much Creative Power

*2019-04-21*

I have used this app and pixel pusher hardware for years and it just keeps getting better. Every time I think to myself... “I wish I could do______ with my light installation” I find a new menu or an update that expands the already impressive capability of this app. So much thought and attention to detail keeps me inspired and pushing my creativity. Chris has also promptly responded to countless emails to help me in the darkest times to get me back on track. Steep yet intuitive learning curve but the more time you spend with the app the more you realize just how powerful it is.

### 5/5 — Excellent App

*2019-03-18*

Can’t rate this app highly enough - stunning design and execution.  I came to the world of pixel mapping in late 2017 with zero experience and no programming ability.  This app combined with pixel pusher hardware was the answer for controlling a low res LED ball grid (450 golf ball sized LEDs in a grid) in a way that is simple, intuitive and allows for endless creativity in design.  Absolutely worth the money - very handy to test for free, check it worked with my lights and pixel pusher for cheap then upgrade to author my own scenes once I had my system up and running.  Long may this be further developed and upgraded - although right now it’s pretty much perfect for me as is.  Huge thanks and kudos to the developers.

### 5/5 — I use it for the pixel pusher.

*2018-12-10*

App works great.  I wish there was a way to program color better than just a wheel. I also wish the iPhone version had more controls. But over all solid app.

### 5/5 — I am very pleased with this software

*2018-12-09*

I created an LED wall as a low budget hobby project, for ambient lighting during yoga.

I looked at many different software solutions and I could not justify the cost for what I was doing.

LED LAB perfectly suits my needs, it generates patterns, AND has the ability to play videos (which I download from YouTube) and also has the ability to overlay text.

It’s very powerful comprehensive software which perfectly suits my needs and my budget.

Thank you Christopher. 
Ben Lowrey

### 5/5 — Great software and great ongoing support

*2018-04-25*

I have been using the software with my PixelPusher since 2015.   I left my unit hardware sit for a couple years and when I tried to get it working again with L.E.D. Lab I ran into problems.  Christopher gave me great support in helping me get the hardware up and running.   Now the software works like a charm.   Love it when you deal with real pro's.

## Frequently asked questions about L.E.D. Lab

### What is L.E.D. Lab used for?

L.E.D. Lab is used to create and control dynamic visual content for LED displays, allowing users to animate images, videos, and particles without needing custom programming. It's designed for artists, designers, and hobbyists.

### Can L.E.D. Lab be used with music?

Yes, L.E.D. Lab allows you to create lists of tracks where each track plays a song from your music library along with synchronized scenes. You can choreograph songs elaborately or let scenes play randomly.

### What types of LED controllers does L.E.D. Lab support?

L.E.D. Lab supports a wide range of LED controllers including PixelPusher, Art-Net, sACN, DDP/Minleon/TekLights, RGB-123, FadeCandy/FCServer, and OpenPixel. It can also display to external monitors or projectors.

### Does L.E.D. Lab have ads?

No, L.E.D. Lab does not contain advertisements. It is a free application with no ads present.

### What devices can L.E.D. Lab be used on?

L.E.D. Lab can be used on any iOS device, including iPhone, iPad, and iPod. However, an iPad is recommended for full editing capabilities due to its larger screen.

### How does L.E.D. Lab handle complex display shapes?

L.E.D. Lab enables rendering to odd-shaped displays through photographically-generated map files. This feature allows for precise control over how visuals are displayed on non-standard LED setups.

### What is the update frequency for L.E.D. Lab?

L.E.D. Lab was last updated on December 31, 2025, indicating active development. The latest version is 2.32.

### What is the age rating for L.E.D. Lab?

L.E.D. Lab has an age rating of 4+, making it suitable for a wide audience of users interested in creative visual applications.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.36 — 2026-08-09

• Compound Map Screen - fixed bug that prevented very wide maps from being displayed in editing mode, added "Touch Select" option to prevent touches from changing selection, updated help text
• PixelPusher discovery using more efficient sockets
• PixelPusher - "Undiscover Duration" now working properly
• DMX - in the "Channel Values" string, you can now specify multiple R, G, B, and W characters, sending the red, green, blue, and white values to multiple DMX channels.
• Virtual Strips text now allows comments after '#' character
• Videos and Images in the root level of the Documents Folder are now displayed in a group called "Documents Folder", rather than "Unknown"

### 2.32 — 2025-12-31

• fixed some issues around the "Undiscover" feature in the LED Setup screen.
• In the "DMX" section of the LED Setup screen, you can now specify that the RGBW data be sent to multiple bytes in the DMX channel stream.  This is useful for DMX floodlights and other non-LED-strip DMX devices.

### 2.30 — 2025-04-03

• Fixed to OSC control of current scene
• Fixed issue that sometimes caused a pictures scene that uses another scene as a picture to lose track of the embedded scene.
• Tweaks to the Edit Map File screen.
• DDP controllers can now have any number of outputs.

### 2.28 — 2024-12-14

• A problem that caused purchases to not be remembered sometimes has been fixed.
• The LED Setup Screen allows you to specify when PixelPusher controllers are un-discovered.
• The Virtual Strips Screen now displays correctly when the device is in Dark Mode.
• MIDI control of global brightness and speed now works properly.
• When a Scene name contained a '/' character, it couldn't be used in another scene.  This has been fixed.
• Rendering large images with tiling is now faster.
• When Mapping Preview is enabled in Scene Editing View mode, touches in the preview area are now used to edit the Scene.

### 2.26 — 2024-06-03

• In the Scene Grid and Track Grid Display Modes, any scene or track set to be "skipped" in the normal play order are not displayed.
• There are several fixes and improvements to the Edit Map File screen.
• Virtual Strips text now allows there to be trailing commas
• In the LED Setup screen, the icon displayed for each PixelPusher controller now displays the "controller ordinal" number specified in the PixelPusher controller.
• Sometimes when there was an error sending data to a PixelPusher controller, and there was more than one controller, sending to the controllers and the preview would hang until the program was restarted.  This has been fixed.
• When the program went to the background and then the set of connected PixelPusher controllers changed, upon returning to the foreground, the old controllers would mistakenly be assumed to still be connected.  This has been fixed.

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## More apps by Christopher Schardt

- [Playlist Lab](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/playlist-lab/id1223527312)

All apps by Christopher Schardt: https://appshunter.io/developer/352273485

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-17.*